It was truly a family Christmas. Four generations of our clan were represented around the table. The conversation was peppered by each generation’s view of the day. I got a chance to get in some of my granddad tickles and tortures as well as a lot of other reason for laughter over the holiday. I got beat soundly by both my son and grandson in a three hour episode of Monopoly®. I also found out that a selection of four or five different desserts is not always a good thing. Then after all the fun and games were done, it was time for the tribe to go back to its various resting places: three states and several hundred miles between each of us. As the van was packed for the return trip, I began to ponder the preparation and planning needed for such a trip. Not only were there the normal pieces of luggage and semi-wrapped gifts to load, there were also numerous “kid occupier” items. There were books, toys, hand-held video games and a generational item not known to granddad’s travel days: a DVD player secured in its own seat. Our youngest grandson wasn’t about to let his dad forget that item and was gleefully delighted at its setup. As the van exited our driveway, I couldn’t help but think about the items that were important to the parents but hardly considered by the kids. The following are necessary for any long trip: a sense of where you’re going, a map to help you find the way, well marked roads, appropriate clothes for the journey, a safe vehicle, provisions for food and water (including appropriate rest stops) and care of the driver to make sure that the correct and safe driving patterns were followed. All the kids had to do was to pile in the van and have the faith that dad and mom were going to get them home…with little or no thought to the above checklist. Then I thought about the journey that the child of God makes on this earth as he heads for his final destination. We have no specific idea how or when we will arrive. We’re not always sure what provisions we may need along the way. Following the map our Guide has given us is sometimes a reluctant tool we use. But the Lord knows the way we should go and asks us to trust Him each step of the way. As we journey, sometimes we even let the “toys of this world” distract us and interfere with our progress. But once we put our gaze firmly upon the author and finisher of our faith, he leads us faithfully to our journey’s end. It’s good to know that our Lord knows the way through our wilderness. Heaven, after all, is the best destination.